I'm a freelance writer and photographer, activist, art director and the creative director of LOVER, an online magazine, editorial and visual content studio and (anti)model agency.

me@thisissheena.com

Oct 16 DO: BECOME A FORTUNE COOKIE WRITER IN SAN FRANCISCO

I was eating sticky pork ribs at a Chinese restaurant in Washington DC when I received this fortune. I'd been having a particularly awful streak of bad days and was hoping for my luck to change but even my fortune cookie knew it was hopeless.

On the upside it made me laugh till I cried. I love the passive aggressive smiley faces. One witty instagram comment described it perfectly: a fortune in smalltalk.

A week ago I read this fantastic article in The Guardian the other day about the writers of fortune cookies and it made me think about a time in San Francisco that I was one.

In the summer of 2013, I spent five weeks in SF with my friend Anoushka who guided me to some of her favourite places while she was at work so I could explore more of the city . Another friend Elektra and I were exploring Northbeach (eating pizza, browsing books at City Lights) and Chinatown (getting pennies pressed, buying cheap ass sweet pastries) one day and I asked her if she wanted to visit a fortune cookie factory. My then boyfriend (a veritable fortune cookie monster) was going to be visiting and I thought it would be nice to get him some. At the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie factory located off a tiny alleyway off Jackson, tourists can witness the cookie making process, write their own fortunes and buy bags of freshly baked, still warm fortune cookies. I picked up a little strip of paper, scrawled an obscene in-joke for Manan (sorry to my family and future boyfriends if they’re reading), handed it over to the old man who managed the place and tried not to meet his eyes.

Later that week I picked him up from the airport after his late night flight with a bag of Chinese takeaway and my own custom cookie. You had to see his face.

If you want to write your own fortunes (sexy or not) head to 56 Ross Alley, San Francisco, CA 94108. There are free samples involved.

Freelance photographer, writer, art director and activist. Founder, creative director and editor of LOVER. A lot of my work is centred around design, travel, food and culture but my interests also lie in wellness, mental health, environmental sustainability and gender.